On Fire
by FallAway
Summary: One-shot. Brooke and Haley have been best friends ever since that night...but what happens when things start to progress? (Baley)


I know I already have two stories going but I really wanted to write this. It's a one-shot, but just a warning, it is a Brooke/Haley slash fic so if you aren't into that sort of thing, don't read it.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, however I did alter the lyrics a bit to fit the story better.

Background:

… Brooke and Haley are best friends …

… Set right after the LPB triangle …

… Nathan and Haley never happened …

……………………………... **OF **…………………………………………..

It's hard to believe how quickly things have changed. Just a few weeks ago I was falling in love with one of the greatest guys I had ever met and now I'm here, at her house, trying to figure out why the hell I can't stop staring at her.

You see, he's one of her best friends. Or at least, he was. They have known each other forever, living like brother and sister for years. And then, this year, things all began to change.

He joined the basketball team. That was one of the first moments when everyone knew that things were about to go AWOL. I started flirting with him, and eventually we started dating. She wasn't happy. She being my ex-best friend. A blond bombshell with a tortured soul who spent hours listening to unknown bands and drawing in her room. He was drawn to her, I knew that, but I never expected him to cheat on me.

I haven't spoken to either one of them since, and I sure as hell am feeling a lot better. Another girl, one that I had never expected to be friends with, came to my rescue.

"Do you need to talk? You haven't said a word for like ten minutes," Haley said from her position at the head of her bed. I looked up at her and felt my heart skip a beat. _No. Shut up, you do not like Haley James._

"No…"

"Brooke," she says firmly, raising a questioning eyebrow at me. _She's so adorable._

"Honestly, Haley, it's nothing," I smile, reassuring her. She seems to accept it, picking up a magazine off her nightstand and flipping through it.

……………………………... **OF **…………………………………………..

It's been two months. Two months and I'm just now starting to speak to blondie again. I know that I can trust her with this but it still scares me. I didn't even realize the attraction that I had to Haley until that night. Oh God, that night…

flashback-

Haley looked up from her book when she heard a knock at the door. She took a peak out the window and saw that it was still pouring rain, just like it had been all day. Gingerly, she got off the couch and made her way to the door. Opening it, she was greeted with a soaking-wet Brooke, shivering from the cold.

"Brooke, come in," she said eagerly as she pulled her inside and got a blanket, wrapping it tightly around her friend.

"Th-thanks," Brooke managed to say through chattering teeth. Haley noticed that her mascara was running, and it clearly wasn't from the rain.

"Come on, let's get you some dry clothes," Haley insisted as she led Brooke up to her room, one arm around her shoulders for support.

Once Brooke had changed into a pair of Haley's sweats and a new shirt, the girls sat down on her bed, Haley's hand rubbing comforting circles on Brooke's back.

"It's not that I don't love the company but…why are you here?" Haley asked gently, confused by the situation. Brooke and her spoke from time to time, that was true, but never did she consider herself as a true support for Brooke.

"I didn't know who else to turn to…" she started slowly, taking a deep breath and swallowing back the lump in her throat. Haley remained silent, staring at her the entire time, waiting for an explanation.

"Lucas…um…Lucas and Peyton were sneaking around behind my back." Haley closed her eyes, realizing what had happened.

"I know." Brooke nodded, looking at her with eyes full of tears.

"I know you did, which is why I came here. She's supposed to be my best friend, she…she…oh, God, Haley…" she whispered before collapsing on the other brunette's lap, tears streaming freely down her cheeks. Haley stroked her hair, not even able to comprehend how much pain Brooke must've been in.

_Tell you where you need to go  
Tell you when you'll need to leave_

"Shh…Brooke, he's not worth it…" Brooke nodded, knowing she was right.

"It was just that…he came home from the hospital and I was so willing to do anything to help him recover…and then he said he just wanted to be friends which, yeah, fine, it sucked but I would survive…and then I saw them. Together. On her web cam! Of all the ways to find out!" Haley nodded, leaning down and kissing Brooke's hair.

"But at least now you know," she whispered, still looking down at the brunette that was lying in her lap, so fragile.

end flashback-

"Brooke? Earth to Brooke…yo, Davis!" Peyton was getting frustrated. She had tried to get Brooke's attention for the last five minutes and still no response. She was tempted to just hurl something at her head when she saw the brunette's eyes come back into focus.

"What?"

"God, daydream much? Sheet, if I didn't know any better I'd think you'd fallen for someone." Brooke remained silent.

……………………………... **OF **…………………………………………..

"Brooke, how long have you been ignoring this?" Peyton asked as she stared at her best friend in disbelief.

"Since about two days after I caught you and Lucas…"

"Brooke!"

"What? Peyton, I can't just walk up to her and say 'Oh, yeah, Haley, I've totally fallen in love with you, do you feel the same way?'" I rolled my eyes, sighing heavily.

"Well no, but you have to do something to find out what she feels."

_Tell you what you need to know  
Tell you who you need to be_

I only nodded before standing up and leaving without another word. Peyton understood, like I expected her to, but she was also encouraging me to talk to Haley which I just can't do right now.

……………………………... **OF **…………………………………………..

She really is beautiful. I'm standing in the middle of a crowd of teenagers, all listening to her sing and talking amongst themselves. They don't notice me and honestly the only thing I can see is her. Up there, on stage, singing her heart out to anyone who's willing to listen. It's been three months since I talked to Peyton and I still haven't been able to bring myself to tell Haley how I feel. Every time I get close my hands get all sweaty and my heart feels like it's going to burst out of my chest.

Tric, that's where I am. Peyton convinced Karen to open an all-ages club and, well, she did. So now it's my third time here, watching Haley perform. I still remember the first time she ever sang for me…

flashback-

"Oh crap," Haley muttered as she dropped a tattered notebook on the floor of Brooke's room.

"You're always carrying that thing around, what's in it anyway?"

"Oh, nothing really, just some songs I've written," Haley shrugged as she set her books on the desk, going over and joining her friend on the bed.

"You sing?" Brooke asked, surprised. Haley was a shy girl; it never even registered that she would do something so bold.

"Kind of…ish." They shared a laugh and Brooke reveled in the sound.

"Sing for me…"

"No. I don't sing for anyone but myself," Haley insisted, shaking her head at the suggestion.

"Oh come on," Brooke whined, "I really wanna hear you sing!"

After about fifteen minutes of persistent begging from Brooke she finally gave in, taking a moment to compose herself. She was nervous enough around Brooke, but to sing in front of her gave the butterflies in her stomach a whole new purpose.

"Every time I look at you the world just melts away, all my troubles all my fears dissolve in your affections, you've seen me at my weakest but you take me as I am, and when you fall you offer me a softer place to land…" the words of Sarah McLachlan's "Push" flooded the room and Brooke felt her whole body go numb. Haley looked so beautiful, sitting there with her eyes closed, so into the song. Her voice was incredible and it was all Brooke could do to keep from jumping into her arms and confessing everything.

end flashback-

"So I was that bad? Wow," Haley said, faking shock as she stared at a speechless Brooke.

"No….no, no, no, you were amazing up there, Haley, you sounded incredible," Brooke assured her as she finally broke out of her trance. Chills had flown down her spine throughout Haley's performance and every single time her voice filled the room she felt like she was falling for her all over again.

"Really?"

"Really really," Brooke grinned, showing off her dimples as she took Haley's hand in reassurance. Haley looked down at their now clasped hands and smiled at her friend, hoping upon hope that they could someday be something more.

_But everything inside you knows  
Says more than what you've heard_

"Thanks, Tigger," Haley said softly as she pulled the brunette into a hug. Brooke felt like she was going to black out at the closeness but somehow kept her composure. She wrapped her arms tightly around her and took in her scent, closing her eyes and burning it into her brain.

They stayed in the embrace for a moment longer than they normally did but neither was complaining. Brooke smiled and poked Haley in the nose before letting out a giggle.

"Hey, what was that for?"

"Just because you're cute." She did it again, only this time Haley reached up and grabbed her hand, poking Brooke in the nose with her own finger.

"Yeah well so are you," she teased. Brooke felt the butterflies multiply by the hundreds.

……………………………... **OF **…………………………………………..

"Hello?" Haley answered her phone, still half asleep. She had stayed late to help Peyton clean up Tric and she was paying for it now. She looked over at the clock. _Who calls at eight in the morning on a Saturday?_

"Tutorgirl!" Haley couldn't help but smile when she realized who it was.

"Since when do you wake up this early on a Saturday?" she teased, rubbing her eyes as she sat up straight in bed.

"Since you are going shopping with me and Peyton, and we have to get there by nine if we wanna get the good sales."

"Mmm, I see. And what are we shopping for?"

"Lingerie of course!" Brooke said as if this were a no-brainer.

"Brooke, you and I are both single." _Unfortunately,_ she thought bitterly as the words left her mouth.

"Well yes but that makes it all the more fun because we can help Peyton pick something out for Jake." Haley's eyes widened slightly.

"Jake? Jake Jagielski?"

"Yes, dummy, now get your cute little ass out of bed and I'll pick you up in twenty minutes! Bye!" Brooke said with excitement as she hung up her phone and flopped back on her bed, sighing happily and giggling at the thought of spending time with Haley trying on lingerie, even if she had no cause to use it. _Yet, _she thought mischievously.

_So much more than empty conversations  
Filled with empty words_

"Brooke, come on, I shouldn't even be here," Haley pleaded as Brooke shoved a black camisole into her arms.

"Tutorgirl, you've got to live sometime," she insisted, moving about the racks while Peyton simply observed, shaking her head at her friend's antics.

"But I don't need any of this stuff since I'm still a virgin!" Haley whispered harshly. Brooke only shrugged before shoving a matching bra and panties set at her to go with the camisole.

"That's only a technicality; this stuff is purely for you. You gotta look good when you sleep incase Prince Charming shows up in the middle of the night to sweep you off your feet," Brooke insisted. Haley only smiled, shaking her head at the brunette.

"Fine." Brooke clapped and jumped up and down when Haley finally gave in, rolling her eyes as she made her way to the dressing room.

"So this is your attempt to make up for not being with her? Secretly admiring her in lingerie?" Peyton whispered once Haley was out of earshot. Brooke sighed and looked at her friend.

"P. Sawyer, you know I can't say anything, she doesn't feel the same way and I don't want to scare her off."

"Bull, I've seen the way she looks at you!" Peyton protested.

"Oh yeah? How's that?" Brooke asked, her voice cynical.

"The same way I look at Jake," she shrugged. Their conversation was interrupted when Haley came out of the dressing room, clad in nothing but the things Brooke had insisted she try on and Brooke felt her breath catch in her throat as she inhaled sharply.

_And you're on fire  
When she's near you  
You're on fire  
When she speaks  
You're on fire  
Burning at these mysteries_

"I feel naked," Haley laughed as she stood in front of the mirror, turning around to look at herself. Brooke felt like her mind had turned to pudding and her lungs had seemingly stopped functioning. Peyton elbowed her in the side and made a face to tell her to stop staring.

"Tutorgirl, you look…hot," she finally managed to say, though her voice was cracking. Peyton stifled a giggle and Brooke smacked her in the arm while she continued to watch Haley.

"Really?" _Oh God, she just said I look hot,_ Haley thought to herself as she turned to face her friends.

"Really really," Brooke breathed, gulping back the lump that had formed in her throat without her knowledge. Haley smiled before going back into the dressing room to put her normal clothes on.

"Still think she doesn't want you? The look in her eyes when you told her she was hot should've been enough to convince you," Peyton whispered as she went outside to wait for her two friends.

……………………………... **OF **…………………………………………..

"Brooke, are you ok? You've been acting really weird ever since we left the mall," Haley asked that night when they were studying at her house. Brooke sighed, unable to hold it in anymore. She sat up on Haley's bed, looking over at her as her mind filled itself with contradicting thoughts of what to do next.

"Brooke?" she asked again, getting worried at Brooke's sudden tensing.

"Haley, I need to tell you something and I really don't think you're going to like it." _Ok. Step one; tell her you need to talk. All systems go._

"Um…ok…Tigger, you know you can tell me anything, right?" Haley asked hesitantly. Brooke rarely called her Haley unless it was life-changing.

_Give me one more time around  
Give me one more chance to see_

Brooke sighed and moved up to sit next to her, taking her hands in her own and looking into her eyes. Those deep pools of chocolate that she was so used to getting lost in.

"Tigger…" Haley said, scared by the way she was acting.

"I'm in love." Haley felt like part of her had just died at these words. _She never wanted you. You were so dumb to read into any of it, she was just being Brooke._

When she remained silent Brooke realized she needed to clarify.

"But um…see, there's this catch." Haley nodded, trying to keep the tears from welling in her eyes.

"It's a really good friend of mine…and I honestly never thought that there was a chance for us until another friend pointed it out to me today when I couldn't stop drooling over said love interest in a lingerie store…" Haley felt her heart skip a beat. _No way._

"Bro-" her words were cut off when Brooke pressed her lips against hers, sending chills down her spine. She responded, pulling her hands from Brooke's embrace and lifting one to her cheek, tracing tiny circles over it with the pad of her thumb.

_Give me everything you are  
Give me one more chance to be... (Near You) _

Cause everything inside looks like  
Everything I hate

When they broke, Brooke pressed their foreheads together, her eyes closed as she tried to find her breath.

"Brooke…" Haley managed to whisper in between her lungs pleading for air. Brooke pulled away, just barely, so that she could talk to her.

"Please tell me I didn't just ruin the best thing that's ever happened to me," Brooke whispered timidly, realizing that Haley might not feel the same and Peyton might've been wrong the whole time.

Haley smiled, shaking her head before leaning in and kissing her again.

They broke again when oxygen became an issue and Haley smiled as she got an idea.

Brooke was staring into her eyes, every part of her body on fire at the feeling of Haley's lips against hers.

Haley slowly moved closer to her side, resting her head on her shoulder as she began to sing to her, "You are the hope I have for change, you are the only chance I'll take, when I'm on fire when you're near me, when I'm on fire when you speak…"

Brooke closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around Haley as she listened to her sing, frowning slightly when she stopped.

Haley looked up at Brooke and said gently, "I'm in love with you too."

……………………………... **OF **…………………………………………..

The next four months were heaven. People eventually figured it out but no one really reacted all that badly, because the adoring looks that they shared before actually coming out were obvious even to the strangest of strangers.

"Brooke, what are you doing?" Haley whispered harshly as she was pulled into a janitor's closet. Her response was Brooke kissing her with all her might, pushing Haley against the well gently and pushing up against her, molding their bodies together.

"You up for a make out session as opposed to English?" Brooke whispered huskily in her ear and Haley felt chills run down her spine as she tilted her head back, her body aching to let Brooke do as she pleased with it. She nodded in response, dropping a slow kiss on Brooke's neck. She inhaled sharply, bringing Haley's lips back to hers for a searing kiss.

_And I'm on fire  
Burning at these mysteries  
these mysteries..._

Things slowly began to escalate as Brooke ran her tongue over Haley's bottom lip, begging for entrance. She felt it come quickly and their tongues met in the middle, massaging each other as Haley's hands traveled up her back, entangling them in her hair as the kiss deepened, pulling them both further and further in. Brooke's hands tangled themselves in the hem of Haley's shirt as they slowly slid up her stomach, just barely, silently asking Haley for permission to keep going. In response, she dug her nails into Brooke's back just barely, letting her know it was alright. Brooke smiled against her lips as her hands slid further up, finally making contact with her breasts.

"Brooke," Haley moaned as she pulled away for air, her heart threatening to burst out of her chest while Brooke let her hands continue to roam, hoping to God that she wasn't making her girlfriend uncomfortable.

"Oh God," Haley whispered as she attacked her lips again, needing to feel them against her own.

"Haley…" Brooke whispered, leaving a trail of kisses down her jaw line and her neck before kissing her lips again.

Haley nibbled her ear for a moment before whispering, "Make love to me." Brooke pulled back, looking at her and seeing the seriousness in her eyes.

"Haley…"

"I'm serious. I want you…and I love you, and I'm ready," Haley insisted, looking dead into her eyes.

……………………………... **OF **…………………………………………..

"That movie sucked," Brooke said candidly as they left the movie theater, hand in hand. Haley laughed and nodded her head in agreement, smiling at her.

"You read my mind."

"Yeah, that's one of my favorite things to do with you…well, besides this," Brooke said as she stopped, turning towards her girlfriend and kissing her softly.

"Mmm, that's one of my favorite things to do with you too," Haley spoke softly, trying to muster as much of a seductive smile as she could. Ever since her confession in the janitors closet just a few days ago she had found herself doing things like this every chance she got.

Brooke kissed her again and realized that both of them wanted to be somewhere else, alone, and not in the middle of a sidewalk in downtown Tree Hill.

_I'm standing on the edge of me_

"Your parents are out of town, right?" Haley whispered as she looked at her, wanting nothing more than to be with her in every way possible.

"As always," Brooke smiled, taking her hand and leading her to her blue bug.

After what seemed like an eternity driving to her house, the girls finally got inside and slowly made the climb to her room, both of them anxious to get to their destination.

Once they got there Brooke was the first to make a move, closing the door and gently pushing Haley against it, kissing her with all her might, needing to feel her touch.

"Brooke…" she whispered between kisses as she slowly slipped Brooke's jacket off, flinging it to the floor. Brooke visibly shivered at the feeling and put her hands up under Haley's hoodie, pulling away only long enough to tear it off, letting her hands linger over her breasts for a moment while she did and smiling as Haley closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the door.

To both of their surprise, Haley slowly started leading Brooke to the bed, sitting her down and standing in between her legs, leaning down and kissing her deeply, just as she had so many times before.

Brooke felt her eyes roll back in her head as she lay down, pulling Haley on top of her, never breaking their kiss. Haley's hands traveled up under her shirt, massaging her breasts as her other hand moved down and worked with Brooke's zipper, finally getting it to slide down and the button to come undone.

"Haley," Brooke moaned as her back arched, causing Haley to smile against her lips.

_And I'm on fire  
When You're near me_

Slowly but surely, Haley slid Brooke's pants off, followed by her shirt and she couldn't help but stare at the beautiful woman beneath her, her brunette hair spread out across her comforter, the moonlight hitting her face just right.

"God you're beautiful," Haley whispered, completely entranced. Brooke only smiled before flipping them over, straddling her as she pulled her shirt off, moving down and placing hot, open-mouthed kisses down her neck, her stomach, and finally her breasts, over and over again, motivated with each moan that escaped Haley's lips.

Things continued to escalate, slowly, as Brooke wanted Haley to be comfortable and they were just enjoying being with each other too much to rush things. They made love for the first time that night, and when they lay in each other's arms afterwards neither of them could wipe the smiles off their faces or the feeling of happiness from their hearts.

……………………………... **OF **…………………………………………..

"Wake up, sleepyhead," Haley whispered in her ear as she placed a kiss on her neck, snuggling into her side more as she watched Brooke smile slightly, her eyes slowly fluttering open.

"Good morning," she whispered as she looked down at Haley, smiling at the memory of last night.

Haley leaned up and kissed her softly, sighing happily as she moved up so that they were level, snuggling even closer to her as Brooke turned on her side to face her.

"How'd you sleep?"

"Mmm…perfect," Haley smiled, kissing her yet again. Brooke giggled. "You?"

"Ditto…" Brooke agreed, letting a chill run down her spine as she thought about last night, and how incredible she felt when Haley started to touch her, caress her skin. It was like she was on fire.

_I'm on fire  
When You speak_

"I love you," Haley whispered, needing to say it.

"I love you too…more than you know, trust me on that," Brooke smiled and Haley kissed her again, deeply this time.

_(Yeah) I'm on fire_

_Burning at these mysteries…_

……………………………... **OF **…………………………………………..

So that's it. I heard the song and it just totally reminded me of Brooke and Haley so I had to write the fic. I had a lot of fun with it so I really hope you like it. Reviews are always appreciated!


End file.
